Build-Up to The Office Finale

The Andy thing was lame. I kind of thought that last episode was his swan song, and a reasonable enough send off... and that they were going to focus on other characters for the last couple of episodes. I guess that was too optimistic. I had heard that my boy Aaron Rodgers was going to make a guest appearance, and I guess I just assumed that it was a natural fit for the Athlead thing.

I liked that episode, except for the Andy subplot as everyone else has pointed out. I loved Jim's deadpan delivery of what was obviously sarcasm, but which seemed to go right over Dwight's head. I also liked the Dwight and Angela story and how it ended. Dwight looked so happy when he learned he was truly a father, that was a good moment. The only part I didnt like (besides Andy) was the Jim and Pam ending. Too sappy. It doesn't feel genuine anymore.

The show is really going out with a whimper, the latest episode was dreadful. I barely laughed at the funny bits, and the feel-good parts were just generically sappy. When Pam played Jim's highlight video, my main thought was "How long is this going to drag out?"

A little Earth Wind & Fire can help anything, though.

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Never a good idea to remind your viewers of how much better the show was in the past. Though, I did recently re-watch season 2 and was happy to see they finally revisited the Christmas Card, though it's a bit weird that he's been married to Pam for years and just now is giving her the card.

Edit: I've been power-watching Parks & Rec to see the early episodes I missed because the pilot sucked, and realizing just how much better a show it is than The Office. Such a well balanced cast, and Mark for Chris & Ben is the best trade in TV history.

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I agree, totally, with this. Parks and Recreation has heart, something that The Office, aside from Jim and Pam (and occasionally Oscar) lacks. That's not a knock against The Office, because it's not that kind of show, but I do enjoy how much the characters in Parks and Recreation care for, respect, and admire each other.

Andy is one of those characters they never wrote consistently. The Andy you see in one season bears nothing in common to the Andy you see in another. Kind of like Ryan. Ryan started out as this guy who knew all the business theory but had no sales ability. Then he turned into white needy Tom Haveford.

But it's sure not Ed Helms' fault. I really think they kept him on because he was played by Ed Helms.

Anyway Dwight was always the real main character of the show, especially after Michael left.

I wish Pete & Clark joined sooner. They should have had time to be fully developed instead of being The Office's Ezri.

I really liked that episode, and I'm a sucker for the Jim/Pam relationship so I liked the highlights from the past. I thought it was all pretty funny, although the Andy bit again just feels out of place.

Parks and Recreation has heart, something that The Office, aside from Jim and Pam (and occasionally Oscar) lacks.

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That's interesting. I never saw Oscar as having heart. He always seemed kind of detached and/or cynical to me, even when he does something nice (like to Angela recently).

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For me Oscar is my favorite and has "heart" simply because he's the most normal person in the office. Jim and Pam are normal but their romance is a little too sappy for reality. Oscar, on the other hand, often says what the audience (or at least me) is thinking and isn't an exaggeration like many of the other characters. Go Oscar!

Watching an old episode tonight in syndication I would say that Michael probably was the character with the most heart. Yes he could be stupid. Yes he could be insensitive and even vaguely racist. But he was a person that was full of emotion and even full of love.

The thing about Michael's racism is that it arose out of an attempt to show people how non-racist he is. That's what made it lovable. He was always well meaning and his goal was always just to be liked, but he was missing all the cultural meta-information we adjust ourselves by.

Oscar was one of the most identifiable because he was the head of the 'Coalition of reason'. He was the voice of the audience, pointing out 'That is stupid', which is why he's the only character we would hang out with in real life.

Watching an old episode tonight in syndication I would say that Michael probably was the character with the most heart. Yes he could be stupid. Yes he could be insensitive and even vaguely racist. But he was a person that was full of emotion and even full of love.

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Agreed. A bit misguided and dense sometimes, but there was a good person in there somewhere trying to get out.

A good example is the episode where he goes to Pam's art exhibit and buys her drawing of their building. A very nice moment where the real Michael gets to the surface for a bit.

"normal" Michael was always great. Where it hurt was when the writers took it too far, and he became a joke that didn't even make sense. You couldn't see an actual person going that far, and it became cringe-worthy...

A good example is the episode where he goes to Pam's art exhibit and buys her drawing of their building. A very nice moment where the real Michael gets to the surface for a bit.

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That is one of my favorite moments from the show, just cause it's so genuine. It's so great because anyone else would have shown up and told Pam they liked it just to make her feel good, but not Michael, he shows up and genuinely loved it to the point that he bought it.

A good example is the episode where he goes to Pam's art exhibit and buys her drawing of their building. A very nice moment where the real Michael gets to the surface for a bit.

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That is one of my favorite moments from the show, just cause it's so genuine. It's so great because anyone else would have shown up and told Pam they liked it just to make her feel good, but not Michael, he shows up and genuinely loved it to the point that he bought it.

I just loved that moment.

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It's one of my favourite moments too. It's so sweet how he insists that they hang it up.